


In My Dreams and Nightmares

by SomeGoodSheith



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Curses, Dreams, Dreams and Nightmares, Established Relationship, Fantasy, Lucid Dreaming, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shared Dreaming, at some point there's galra keith, it shifts in a lot of au's really, keith and shiro suffer a lot, tagges mature for future chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-02-25 20:32:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13220676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeGoodSheith/pseuds/SomeGoodSheith
Summary: Keith saves Shiro from yet another harm - but as a result, brings upon himself a terrible fate.Now it's Shiro's turn to do everything in his power to rescue Keith from himself, from his own mind, and from the curse that keeps them so close yet so far away from each other.





	1. Chapter 1

Breathing in and out heavily, he knew his time was short.

The battle between the paladins of Voltron and the Galra was a long, tiring one, but even after being in an advantage, the Galra were losing.  _Again_. It made him sick to the stomach.

He was the last druid in the area. The others already fled, vanishing in dark mist or in a flash of purple light. They all knew it will be over soon. He did, as well.

But it didn’t mean he accepted it. Not without fighting until the end.

He watched carefully, until his eyes caught two of the paladins - the red one and the black one - making an escape. It looked like they were the last ones here as well. He remembered seeing the other three (what were they again - oh yes,  _humans_ ) before them, making their way out. Up until then, he couldn’t think of anything but the devastation of yet another failure. But now, after gathering some strength, he has a plan.

He’s going to take down the black paladin. At least that is going to give some of his dignity back.

Thinking quickly, he murmured a spell under his breath. He had the perfect one - untraceable, goes into effect instantly and most of all: torturous. An exact match to what the Head of Voltron deserves after escaping the Galra once, and daring to come back as their greatest enemy.

He smiled, making sure his aim was right. Even from that distance, even when the entire place was collapsing, he could be precise.

The druid released the dark spell and watched it speeding towards the taller paladin. His smile only grew, but then - a shout was heard.

“Shiro, watch out!”

It was the red paladin. He somehow noticed, and faced the druid just in time. How? The dark creature couldn’t tell, but the next thing he saw was the spell hitting the wrong human, who protected the other by jumping in front of him. As soon as the dark magic made contact, he fell limp on the ground.

The black paladin tried to wake his friend at first, calling his name, touching him worriedly, yet his attempts were in vain.

As quickly as possible, before the black paladin would look up and spot him, he murmured another spell and disappeared in black smoke. Of course, he was hoping for a better result - after all, he was aiming at someone else.  

But that was something too, right?

 

*

 

When he heard Keith screaming his name, Shiro froze in his place.

It happened just behind his back. He noticed his lover suddenly turning around, and in mere moments, the warning was called and then - he was hit and fell.

The black paladin turned to his left and watched Keith's limp body in horror. Now it was his turn to shout his boyfriend's name in a desperate, worried voice, and immediately fall on his knees. As he continued to try and wake Keith up, he touched his neck in search for a pulse.

It was there, but Keith didn't wake up.

Shiro released a frustrated groan. So many thoughts raced in his mind, as guilt and fury and an anxious worry flooded his entire body. Yet no matter how angry he was, at the druid and at himself, he knew he must get his lover to safety. That is his top priority.

Breathing hard, he picked the limp body in his arms and looked down at his unconscious partner. “Don’t worry. It’s gonna be alright, love,” he said, even though he knew Keith couldn’t hear him. Pressing him close, Shiro ran towards the black lion, which opened up its mighty jaw as an invitation for the paladins’ safe way back to the castle. When Shiro placed Keith beside him in his lion and began to turn the huge machine over, he could hear a terrible cry. The red lion was flying beside them, shouting an agonized roar at the fact that it’s pilot has been hurt.

Shiro, more than anyone else, could understand how it felt.

 

*

 

They reached the castle not long afterwards. The two lions parked in their place within it, and as soon as they did, the others approached in cheers and greetings. Their happiness was short-lived, however, when they saw the state Keith was in.

“What happened?!” Pidge exclaimed, at the same time as Lance and Hunk expressed their own concerned questions.

“A druid tried to attack me, but Keith saved me and took the hit. He’s breathing, but I don’t know what the dark magic will do. We must go to Coran and Allura, now.” He already began walking as he spoke, and his friends followed suit. They offered to help him carry his boyfriend, but Shiro refused. He couldn't let go of him, not now.

The paladins kept on running through the corridor, feeling the speed of the castle moving along - Allura must have been activating the black hole by now to get them all to a distant, quiet place. They reached the main hall quickly, only to witness the two Alteans in the middle of the escaping method. The castle was going through the thin canal of space crushing into itself, as its own gravity was too powerful to even let light escape. Finally, another black hole was created at the end of nothingness, and the ship was escaping through it and into a different part of space. Shiro called the Alteans for help, approaching with the unconscious Keith in his arms, his friends behind him. Coran managed to reach them first, watching the red paladin worriedly. “Pull him out of his armour and take him to the medical wing. I'll be right there.” He ordered.

As the rest of the team made their way to med bay and waited, Shiro took Keith to his room and pulled the armour off of him carefully. It was tough for him to do this while Keith was unconscious - it made his heart race with worry, it made his eyes sting with tears at his boyfriend’s helpless sight. He breathed heavily, trying to collect himself and be as quick as he can. He can’t lose it now. Keith needs him.

As the red paladin was left with nothing but a black full bodysuit, the taller man pulled him into his arms again and ran to the medical wing.

After hearing an explanation of everything that happened, Coran examined Keith closely on the heightened bed. “Ah,” he said, pointing at Keith’s neck. There was a small sign on it - two tiny oblique lines on the left side, one above the other, underneath the angle of his jaw. “There. I’ve seen this sign somewhere before.”

“What is it?” The black paladin asked, his eyes not moving from Keith even for a single moment.

“Well, not many know it, but some of the druids’ spells - mainly the very old ones - have their own unique symbol. I’m certain this is one of them. Let me just check in the logs. We must have something on it.”

Everyone watched Coran anxiously as he typed away in the castle’s force field of information, eager to find the answer as quickly as possible. Pidge practically pressed her chin to his shoulder, eyes widely looking at the pale blue screen.

Yet as soon as Coran found what he was looking for, the green paladin moved her eyes to look at his even more concerned expression. “Coran? What is it?”

The older Altean exhaled uncomfortably. “It’s a sleeping spell.”

Everyone blinked confusedly, with the exception of Allura, whom gasped in disbelief. “Coran. Don’t tell me it’s what I think that is.”

“W-what do you mean?” Lance intervened. “I mean, a sleeping spell doesn’t sound so bad… right?”

“Well, usually no, but… this specific spell is something entirely different,” Coran sighed. “Now that I’ve seen the meaning of the symbol, I remember where I’ve seen it before. It’s a very rare spell, very old and barely used... mainly because it’s illegal in many galaxies.”

“Illegal? W-why would it be illegal?” Hunk asked, almost panicking. He held his fists to his chest, watching his other friends get as anxious as he does - and Shiro, even more so.

Licking his lips, Coran decided to tell them everything from the beginning. “It’s official name means, in free translation, The Three Phases of the Endless Night. The spell’s three parts are constantly changing depending on the individual it's cast upon - in length and in intensity - but they will always go as follows: the first phase is a deep slumber. The victim is immobile and unresponsive to any of their surroundings, no matter what happens.”

“Like a coma?” Lance asked. When the two Alteans looked at him confusedly, obviously not knowing what a ‘coma’ is, he simply explained: ”like when you’re trapped in your own body and no one knows when you’ll wake up.”

“Something like that, yes,” Coran confirmed. At the pause that was forced upon him by Lance’s question, he glanced at Shiro, who took a seat the closest to Keith and held his hand in his own - the human one, it seemed. “Then, after an amount of time that, as I said, changes between each victim, comes the second phase - the nightmares. This sleeping spell is especially designed to cause pain and suffering, and since it’s attached to the brain and it’s activity while the victim is asleep, those night terrors will be intense. There will be signs that the phase has begun, such as breathing heavily, frowning and so on.” He stopped again, just to see if anyone has any more questions, but it seemed everyone was silent, listening attentively to his words. They were all frowning, frozen to their places, feeling both captivated and terrified. He himself hated talking about the subject so bluntly, knowing it's affected one of their closest friends.

“The third and final phase is the most dangerous one - the physical effect. Since the mind’s suffering is so great, it shows the signs of its misery through the body of the victim…  with an actual, physical pain.” Shiro winced at that and squeezed Keith's hand. He felt his chest tighten as Coran continued. “We'll see it in the forms of screams, cries, intense shaking, and sometimes even violence and unstoppable movement that caused by both physical and mental pain. This phase is the one that in all the cases that are known of - which aren’t many, and I’ve seen only one of them with my own eyes - was cut short. The agony is just too much for the victim to bear, and too much to anyone who witnesses their suffering. Even though no one has seen it on their own, it is believed that eventually this phase will cause the victim’s body to collapse and finally die on it’s own, by systems failure most likely, or exhaustion. But, of course, as I said, no one reached so far into the third phase since they wouldn't let the victim go through such torture.”

A deafening silence froze in the room. While others watched Coran, wide eyed and speechless as they processed what they’ve just been told, Shiro’s own eyelids squeezed shut. How… How could this be?

“I know it’s harsh to tell you all of this,” the redhead said in a softer voice, soaked with despair, “but you must know what we’re up against this time around. I believe there’s no turning back now.”

“W… What do you mean, Coran?” The princess asked, her voice shaking. “Surely you must know of a case in which the victim was cured!”

“Unfortunately no, Princess,” he exhaled. “None of the documented cases have ever been solved. No one has ever found a cure. Usually, in cases where there is no spell that would break a curse, or when it wouldn’t dissolve on its own, you need to find the source of it - the druid that cast it from the first place. But alas, since it's one of the oldest torture spells that exist, there is no way of tracing it back to the one who created it.”

“We can't accept this,” Shiro finally spoke, and everyone's gazes immediately turned towards him. “I  _won't_ accept that Keith is going to suffer and die and that there's nothing we can do about it. We must find a cure. And as paladins of Voltron, we  _will_.”

As the other paladins agreed with him, Coran watched him sadly - of course, he wouldn't argue. It was their job to defend the universe, after all, and if they won't be able to save one of their own, how will they be worthy of their title? Besides, Keith, as any other paladin, is a crucial member of their group and a dear friend, and for Shiro… Well. For Shiro, he’s much more than that. “Of course. And I shall aid in any way I can possibly think of.”

Shiro nodded. “Thank you for explaining in such detail, Coran. We need to know what we're dealing with in order to think of a solution.”

“Shiro's right,” Allura nodded, squeezing her advisor’s shoulder confidently. “I suggest we go to the main hall and begin our research. I'm sure that if we all think about it together, we shall prevail in finding a way to save Keith. We need to let him have some space, as well.”

The others nodded, each glancing one last time at the sleeping Keith before exiting the room. Shiro stayed where he sat.

“Shiro? Are you coming, buddy?” Lance asked, standing by the door.

“Er - yeah. Yeah, I'll be right there. Just… Give me a moment, okay?” The slightly older paladin tried to smile, even though it was clear he was forcing it. Lance didn't argue, and left a few seconds later.

Shiro let out a long, heavy sigh. His eyebrows screwing together into a frown, he held Keith’s hand in both of his own and squeezed softly. He leaned forward and lifted the limp hand to his lips. After a soft kiss was pressed against it, he kept it close to his mouth as he whispered. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I let this happen… it should have been me who…” No. No, Keith wouldn’t like that. He wouldn’t want to hear him talk like that. Letting his eyes shut, Shiro gulped and leaned against the warm gloved hand. “I’m gonna bring you back,” he stated shakily, yet determinedly. “I’m gonna bring you back, and I’m gonna tell you how grateful I am for saving me, and how much I love you. I promise you that.”

A few more moments passed. A few more whispered promises were murmured into the air against a set of ears that couldn’t hear them. Despite that, Shiro knew that Keith was fighting along, and he isn’t going to be the only one.

Shiro placed his lover’s hand beside his body, and finally got up from his seat. He bent forward and pressed another small kiss on Keith’s forehead. “I promise.”

 

*

 

Hours passed. Pidge looked through her laptop desperately, as Lance and Hunk sat together on the couch and tried to throw ideas at each other. Allura and Coran stood beside them, commenting and arguing along. Shiro sat across from them, arms folded and eyes closed, thinking deeply.

A sudden loud gasp from Lance’s direction was enough to have everyone’s attention. “I've got it! I have an idea!” He announced, his arms up in the air before he moved them in front of his chest, tightened into excited fists. “Collective dreaming!”

“Collective dreaming?” Pidge repeated after him, putting her fingers underneath her chin.

“Yeah! Like in that old movie, ‘Inception’! Where they all went into the same dream!”

Allura and Coran looked at each other, trying to understand what Lance meant by ‘inception’, as Shiro turned to the blue paladin and put his hands down by his body. “You mean, waking him up from inside his head?” He asked.

“That actually sounds like a good plan. I mean, Coran, Hunk and I can probably build something for that,” Pidge nodded.

“But even if we do something like that, we need to remember that the mind is very delicate. We must be as cautious as possible if we do something like that.” Shiro said worriedly.

“How  _are_ we going to do it, though?” Hunk looked at Lance, who shrugged with an apologetic smile. “I mean, sure, I guess we can create something that'll be able to let us into Keith's head, but, like, how exactly do we wake him up? Are we, like, talking to him? Or maybe doing something else?”

Silence was present for a few moments after the questions were asked. No one actually knew the answers to them. “Coran, you have that look on your face when you have a plan,” Allura’s voice was finally heard again. “What is it?”

“Well, I've been thinking. This idea really is good,” as he said those words, Lance smiled proudly and said it was obvious, “but I think we need to look at it from another direction. Shiro, when the dark magic hit Keith, was he facing it?”

“Yes,” Shiro said immediately, frowning at the painful memory. “He warned me and jumped right in front of it.”

“That means there's a chance he saw the druid as well, even if it was for less than a tick, or in the corner of his eye. Such a chance is all we need.”

“What do you mean?” the black paladin asked.

“Remember when I said we need to catch the source of the spell, the druid who cast it? Well, we might have found a way to do it. One thing we have in common with you humans is knowing that our brain is capable of containing  a massive amount of information and restore it in different ways. So, if Keith was able to catch even a glimpse of the druid, it means he probably has an image of them somewhere in his subconsciousness.”

“Which means he’ll have his image in his dreams too!” Pidge completed his train of thought. “Coran, that's genius!”

“Hey! The idea was originally mine!” Lance huffed.

“Wait, so what are you saying? That we need to find the druid inside his head - and then what?” Shiro asked, crossing his arms again.

“Well, you get him out of there, of course. Or her. Catching them over there and bringing them out to reality may have enough power to make the actual druid show up.”

“But how?” Shiro insisted. It didn't make sense. “Whatever Keith has in his mind is a memory, an image. How will it make the real druid appear?”

“That's the beauty of the Altean technology,” Coran smiled proudly, making Allura nod confidently. “Don't worry, Shiro. We will be able to do this. For now, Pidge, Hunk and I will work on the devices to help connect between minds. It might take some time, though.”

“Alright! We're doing this!” Hunk cheered, as both him and Pidge (who looked even more excited) got up and walked to Coran’s direction.

“I'll stay with Keith in the meantime,” Shiro said, already starting to walk to the door. “Allura, Lance. You guys should have some rest. None of us had any since the last mission.”

“But I want to come with you,” Allura frowned. “No matter what the nature of your relationship with him is, we're worried about him as much as you are.” At the words, Lance nodded in agreement.

The black paladin licked his lips, feeling some kind of a sting in his throat at the statement, yet nodded. “Of course. Let's go,” he said, his voice quieter. The princess and the blue paladin followed him to Keith's bed in the medical bay, as the three others went to work on the machines.

He only hoped it would go as quickly as possible.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my most favorite things in the world, in literature, in cinema, in real life- is dreaming. I love *anything* that relates to it. So I thought, since I love it so much, why don't I write about it on my own?
> 
> With that said... I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! I would love to know your opinion :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is lost, yet a possible solution is finally found. With the help from his friends, Shiro studies that solution, observes it, knowing it's the only way to save his lover.

Shiro found himself stirring, still by Keith's side, after his head fell on his chest. He blinked. He didn't even remember falling asleep. After stretching his arms, he looked at Allura, who sat on the other side of the sleeping paladin. “How long have passed?”

The princess looked up at him and smiled softly. “Just a few vargas. Coran and the others are still working, Lance went to check on them.” She hummed. “It's good that you had some rest. You looked like you needed it.”

Shiro let out a huff, something that resembled a chuckle, but wasn't quite it. “Thanks. I mean, I didn't plan on it, but I guess I really did need it.” A single glance at Keith made him more relaxed, despite the worry. It seemed the red paladin was still resting easy - his expression was soft and relatively peaceful - and that was enough to make Shiro feel slightly more comfortable, at least for that moment. 

Not many know this effect Keith has on his boyfriend. As much as the leader of the team was considered the red paladin’s solid ground, his source of security and peace of mind, it was a quiet, unspoken fact that Keith did exactly the same for Shiro. The very sight of him smiling, doing well on a mission or generally being in a good mood was enough to settle Shiro's concerned heartbeats, instead making them race because of something else, warmer. In this particular moment, Keith was peaceful. The black paladin could see that, and as much as they need to hurry and find the cure to wake him up, even more so before things get worse, that delicate sight of his boyfriend in front of him was able to curve the corners of his lips a little bit upwards. 

Allura watched her friend with a testing gaze, before speaking up again. “He didn't enter the second phase yet, so that's good.”

“Yeah. As long as he doesn't have to deal with the pain… That's all that matters for now.” He replied. He put his hand on Keith's close one and tightened the grip immediately. His expression had a mixture of emotions in it, making it harder to read him properly. 

There were so many things the princess wanted to tell him at that moment, to ask him, yet the opportunity was gone when they heard the excited, loud talk from the opening door’s direction. 

“They finished! Hell yeah!” Lance called proudly, smiling at his two friends who turned to him. He walked first, with Hunk, Pidge and Coran arriving right after him.

“Good,” Shiro said hurriedly, eyes getting wider as he stood up. “Does it work?”

“In theory, yes. We still need to make an experiment before we use it for its real purpose, ” Coran told him. “We must make sure it works. It took us long enough to create it, and we have to calculate our time carefully. It won’t be worth all of the time we spent on it if we wouldn’t.”

Hunk made his way past his friends and stood closer to the sleeping paladin, sending him a sad look. “How is he?” He asked worriedly, as Pidge did the same to take a look at Keith. 

“About the same as before,” Shiro replied. “He still looks peaceful, so we think it's a good sign… But we must hurry. We've got no time to waste.”

“Yes. Princess, Lance, come over here, if you may.” Coran told them, and the two complied immediately. By his order, the blue paladin lay on one bed, and Allura sat on one just beside it. The beds were just to Keith's right, which let Shiro the opportunity to both observe his team and stay close to his boyfriend. “We are going to send the princess’ consciousness into Lance's dream, and see if she can really go into his mind and experience it.”

“Alright!” Lance commented approvingly, as Allura simply nodded - even though it seemed she was excited about it as much as him. 

Hunk didn't seem to mind, but Shiro could see Pidge was expecting to participate in such an exciting experiment. 

“How are the devices going to do that?” Shiro asked, still worried, yet intrigued in his own way.

“The devices are connecting the minds through the energy and hormones released from the brain during dreaming, which cause them to react as soon as they’re activated.” Pidge explained. “The devices themselves work mainly on quintessence more cool things that Coran didn’t really let me to explore because we don’t have much time,” she continued bitterly. 

Coran smiled at her. “Don’t worry, Number Five. It really is a fascinating subject, and I’ll be more than happy to teach you all about it once all of this is over.” When she seemed to be satisfied, he allowed himself to continue and held up the two devices, each in one hand. One was a metallic headband, thin and simple, and the other was a pair of what seemed to be clear, light colored sunglasses with triangular lenses. “These are the crown and the glasses that we're going to use. The crown is meant to be put on the head of the one who is currently dreaming, and the glasses are for the individual who enters the dream.” As he said the words, he placed the clear metal crown on Lance's head. Lance, in response, grinned and made a cool face that was supposed to imitate an important figure. 

“Anyways…” Pidge frowned and shook her head at the blue paladin. “The process is pretty simple. Once the subjects are fully asleep, the crown and glasses can be activated with the buttons that are placed on the left side of each device. Coran and I can supervise on the brain waves through my computer and screens of the castle, once we set the same code as the devices. They're going to work non-stop, as long as the two participants are sleeping at the same time. Once one of the participants wakes up, the devices will automatically turn off.”

“Okay. But how will the devices help us find the druid?” Shiro asked. 

“They won’t,” Coran said. “You will have to find them yourself. These machines are only the means for us to connect two minds within a dream, not to shape the dream itself.”

The black paladin sighed at that. It’s going to be a tough mission, he thought, but they have no other choice. 

“Now, Lance, open your mouth. I shall give you something to help you sleep in a tick.”

At that moment, Hunk walked over and brought Coran a small bottle he requested him to bring along. The Altean opened it and filled it’s plug with the liquid which the bottle contained. “For an adult Altean, three doses of this would put into a good night’s sleep. I have no idea how the human body reacts to it however, so let’s see what one dose would do for now.”  

After opening his mouth, Lance felt the warm fluid slide down his throat, burning it on its way - then, giving his chest a cold sensation. Somehow it reminded him of liquor, only it had the exact opposite effect. “Mm. Fruity,” he hummed. A moment later, however, he already felt his head get so heavy and calm, that he couldn’t say much more than unintelligible mumbling. He rested his head down, beginning to relax, barely understanding anything his friends were saying while looking at him. Everyone watched him when his eyes finally closed by themselves, and nothing but deep breaths, and an occasional snore, were heard from his direction.

“Impressive,” Pidge hummed, adjusting her glasses thoughtfully. 

“Right. I guess that’s enough. Princess, now it’s your turn.” Coran turned to her. He placed the triangular glasses over her head, which covered her face from the forehead to cheeks with the lenses’ pointy ends. Her advisor gave her three doses of the previous liquid as he explained before, and waited until she was fully asleep to turn on the devices. 

The crown and glasses glowed in an identical light, just for a moment. It looked like crystal in the sunlight - bright, breaking into pieces and shapes of any color the naked eye could catch. When the glow was gone, the devices were officially activated.

“Alright. Now, we wait. The only ones that can tell us if it's working or not are the princess and Lance,” Coran said. The other paladins nodded, and took their seat once more. Pidge had her laptop on her knees, and began her own work simultaneously. 

While Shiro was keeping his gaze on his two sleeping friends, his prosthetic slid to touch Keith's hand again, carefully curling his metal fingers between those of his lover. 

 

*

 

Darkness. That was all Allura could see now. Where was she? 

She turned around. Still nothing. Pitch black. Empty. 

Wait, she remembered now. Lance. She's in Lance's head. Is this place so dark because he is not dreaming yet? 

Then - she could hear… something. Water… Rustling. Falling somewhere, softly. Upon hearing that, she knew she was mistaken before - this dream was only beginning. 

She pressed her lips together for a moment and began walking towards the sound, her bare feet tapping carefully against a seemingly hard, invisible floor.

Then, she saw a weak light. Blue, flashing here and again. It was the source of the water, it seemed. She could see a small waterfall within a natural pond. The rocks that surrounded the water in a circle, as well as those that the waterfall burst out from on the farther side away from Allura, were placed on nothing. 

Hesitating, Allura stepped closer. When she was within reach of the pond, she sat on the rocks that surrounded the water, and stared down at the calm, small ripples that were caused by the waterfall. 

It was beautiful, she thought, and wondered how other water sources looked on Earth.

After a moment, she saw something moving in the liquid. Her eyes widened as she gasped. “Hello?” She asked. “Who's there?”

Upon hearing the sound of her voice, the creature jumped out of the water, shouting excitedly - “Princess!”

The sudden approach made her jump and recoil. “Lance! Wha…” she was about to ask him what he was doing there, what happened to your body?!” 

Lance smirked and put his hand, gun-shaped, underneath his chin. “Why, I'm a merman, of course! Isn't it cool? Look at my tail!” He then jumped to reveal his fish-like tail, bright as the water he was in, yet colored with both deeper and lighter shades of blue. 

“Well… I won't lie, it does look beautiful,” the Altean princess smiled. “Merman… I do remember those mermaid creatures you and Hunk told us about when we lost the Lions. Are there any of those on Earth?”

“What, mermaids?” Lance asked. 

“Yes. I mean, that's how you recognized them, correct? You knew their species by name. Of course, the Alteans have another way of saying their name, which is much more accurate.”

Lance shook his head. “No… unfortunately we don't have any mermaids on Earth. They're only a legend back there.”

“So how did you know what they were?”

“Well, mer-people in the legends on Earth are half-fish, half-humans. And the space mer-people pretty much had the same basic shape.”

“So it was a coincidence.”

“Yes. A very happy, beautiful coincidence…” Lance smiled. 

Allura rolled her eyes held putting her hand in the water of the pond. The warmth the water had made her smile. “So, Lance,” she hummed, looking around for a moment. “Are all of your dreams occur in the middle of nowhere?”

“What? No. Why?”

“Then why is it so empty and dark here?” 

“Oh, you want this place to be brighter? I can make it bright! Look!” Lance called cheerfully, immediately diving into the water again. As he swam in circles, the darkness around them began to lighten. Suddenly, yet quickly, clouds moved over, bringing with them the color of a sunny day’s sky. Allura watched in awe as beneath her feet and all around her spread the endless, wide skies. 

“Lance… this is stunning!” she gasped. 

The merman was still within his pond, leaning against some of the rocks around him. “Not as stunning as you though, m’lady,” he smirked, to which Allura sighed and rolled her eyes again. 

“Well, we did our mission, right? Our minds are connected in your dream. It means the devices Coran and the paladins made are working, and Shiro can go into Keith's mind.”

“Hey, why does Shiro get to go?” Lance pouted. 

Allura looked at him. “Are you _ really _ asking that?”

The merman signed. “Okay, okay. I get it,” he said. He didn't expect anything else, really. “Well, if we're already here, let's have some fun!”

“What? What do you mean?”

“It's a dream, isn't it? Everything is possible! Watch this.” Lance climbed on the rocks and looked at the endless sky that surrounded them. With a burst of courage, he jumped into the sky as if it was water - and swam in the air. “Aha! Awesome!” He cheered. His lower body moved from side to side, his tail swaying gracefully - he looked like he was belly dancing on his back. 

Allura found herself giggling, despite the fact that she tried to be serious - but she couldn't stop herself when Lance seemed to swim so strangely when it was in invisible waters. The princess herself imagined floating on top of the airy stream, and soon enough her body was lifted calmly in the wind, as if carried on slow waves. Lance cheered again, and the two laughed. 

Their fun was cut short when they heard a loud splash. 

The two span and gazed at the source of the noise - the pond. In the middle of it, Keith’s body was sinking down. Bubbles rose from his half opened mouth, and his arms and legs were lifted upwards, limp within the unseen liquid. 

The princess gasped, and the paladin called Keith's name. They both tried to swim towards him, but the pond’s water seemed to be protected by some sort of glass. It was a huge, glassy tube that came from underneath the stones and downwards into the infinite sky.

“Keith! Wake up!” The two shouted, pounding their fists at the transparent wall, but their voices were not heard. Lance decided to swim down, at least try to get closer, shout his friend’s name again. 

Nothing helped. Keith's body was falling slowly, drowning, and there was nothing they could do about it. 

Somewhere in the distance, a sun set. The clouds moved again, slowly bringing the heavier colors with them, and everything became darker. Lance and Allura looked around worriedly, and when they looked down again, Keith was gone. Pitch black was colored all around, until they couldn't even see each other. 

With that, the dream was over. 

 

*

 

Allura was the first one to wake up. 

Her eyes were shot open. Her body was strangely heavy, but she assumed it was because of the potion Coran had given her before. She still felt drowsy when the glasses were pulled away from her eyes, yet she fully came back to reality when Lance, just beside her, let out a yelp and got up as well. 

The three other paladins, along with the older Altean, blinked at the two when they saw their expressions. 

“Well? How was it?” Pidge asked eagerly. “Did you enter his dream? What happened there?”

“It started awesome but ended up so sad!” Lance complained, as Hunk helped pulling the crown off of his head. 

“In the dream, we were in some sort of a pond. A pond in the middle of nowhere.” Allura explained. “And Lance was this - how did you call it, Lance?”

“I was a merman!” The blue paladin said with his voice slightly stronger with excitement. “And we were swimming in this endless sky, with clouds and everything. But then Keith showed up and everything went down the hill!”

“Keith? What do you mean?” Shiro asked, immediately looking at his friend. 

“Well, it wasn't exactly his fault, Lance,” Allura looked at him as well, then back at the rest of the team. “We were swimming around in the sky, and then… Keith fell into the pond, out of nowhere. And we saw him sinking in water, but we couldn't reach him. We just… couldn’t.”

Coran put his hand on her shoulder. “The meaning of the dream, if there is one, is for Lance to think of. Though I would say it would represent his worry for the situation Keith is in,” he said, glancing at the younger human. Lance nodded silently at that. “But we need to move on and focus on the important thing here - you, princess, were able to enter Lance’s dream and experience it along with him. That’s exactly what we need in order to execute our plan.” 

As Coran spoke, Shiro’s eyes moved down to gaze upon the sleeping Keith. 

_ I promise,  _ he thought,  _ I'll save you.  _

“Shiro,” when he heard his name being spoken, the black paladin raised his head. “When you enter Keith’s head, you must remember three important things,” Coran continued. “Firstly: everything you see, everything you feel, every single thing you experience - they’re all in yours and Keith’s mind. They can be memories, or they can be made up in the dream, but you must remember. Nothing is real. So when you enter the second phase of the curse, you must stay strong. For both of your sakes.”

Shiro gulped and nodded.  _ Nothing is real _ .

“Secondly, and equally as important - these,” Coran gestured, and Pidge brought a pair of handcuffs. 

“These cuffs are designed for magic users. I managed to upgrade them a bit, so it’ll be easier to use.” She explained. “All you gotta do after you catch the image of the druid is to press here, on this light blue button. Then they’ll lock on his magic, so in theory, once you’re outside of Keith’s head, the actual druid will appear as well. We have no way of testing it, so you’ll have to risk it.”

Shiro nodded. “And how will I take them with me into the dream?”

“We'll attach it to the glasses,” Pidge answered. “Plus, it’s a dream, Shiro. Anything is possible in dreams.”

“I’ll take what I have,” Shiro said, not entirely comfortable. Endless possibilities aren’t always a good thing. “What’s the other thing I need to remember?” 

Coran was once more the center of attention, as everyone’s eyes were set on him. He thought about the way to express his last comment to the black paladin before he goes out to his mission, and eventually decided it would be best to be blunt. “A third, and maybe the most helpful advice I can give you in this situation, is this: you may die in the dream.” When the other paladins were about to protest, Coran stopped them with a raise of his hand. “Let me finish. From what I know, there are two main situations known to your kind - dying in a dream and waking up, or dying in the dream and dying in reality. None of these are going to occur in our situation. I’ll remind you that the main purpose of this curse is to keep the dreamer in endless series of dreams upon dreams. Those dreams become more and more horrifying, until the body and the mind of the dreamer grow too exhausted to deal with the pain. But the important thing here that you can take to your advantage, Shiro, is the  _ endless _ part. Even if the curse knows that there is a foreign subject within the mind it primarily affects, it can’t change. It will keep the primal body dreaming, which means you can move from one dream to another, no matter what happened in the previous one. Do you get where I’m getting at?”

Shiro listened attentively, and eventually nodded once. “It doesn’t matter if I die in one dream, because I’ll always wake up in another.”

“Exactly,” Coran confirmed. “This connects to my first advice of always remembering that you’re not in the real world. As long as you remember that nothing is real, your fear of what comes next should get smaller. I would also tell you, however, to try and avoid being in one dream for too long. You don’t want to get lost in another man’s mind. Because this most likely  _ will _ be quite fatal for you.”

Taking a few breaths in, Shiro thought about all that the Altean advisor told him, letting it all settle in. He knew that in order to save Keith as quickly as possible, he’ll have to take all of it to his heart. “Then I'm ready,” he finally said. He could feel all the others watching him, trying to keep calm even after hearing such detailed unique explanation. 

“Let’s get started, then,” Coran told him, and for a brief moment put his hand on the other’s shoulder. “We have no more time to waste.” 

Upon hearing those words, Shiro squeezed Keith's hand for one last time. He then got up, watching the other paladins with a grateful gaze. Without question, without any debate or argument, they let him do it. And he won’t let them down.

He took a deep breath and sat on a bed beside Keith’s. He watched as Hunk put the metal crown on the sleeping man's head, then gently rested it back on the mattress. 

The rest of the team stood around them, looking at Shiro with hope in their eyes. Each one of them emboldened him, saying their words of trust and encouragement. They all knew he could do it, and it gave him the courage to believe in himself as well. 

He put the glasses on himself and took a deep breath. “Let’s do this,” he said softly, and Coran gave him a spoonful of the sleeping potion. Without delay, he swallowed the liquid and lay down. It only took him a few moments to fall asleep.

_ I’m coming, Keith. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was chapter number 2! :D  
> I really hope you guys enjoyed it, and as always, I'd love to know your opinion ^-^


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally deep inside Keith's mind, Shiro needs to leap between his lover's dreams, experience them with him, without losing track of his mission.   
> But who said it would be easy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh... sorry for the wait. I'll do my best to keep the updates regular, but sadly I can't promise anything.
> 
> Anyways. I hope you'll like the chapter. Thanks for reading :> I wish to know what you think ^-^

Shiro blinked. He could feel something soft underneath his body - a mattress. He was lying on a bed, but not the one in his room in the castle. It was much softer, older and somewhat familiar. When he looked ahead, he could see a worn out, crumbling wall, some books abandoned on the floor, and other materials that seemed to go brown with dust. No, nor dust - sand. Some warm-colored light was shining upon his back and ahead on that wall, light that was the the exact opposite of the cold blue of the lions’ ship. It reminded him... of a sunbeam. 

Then, he noticed his head was leaning on something, or rather -  _ someone _ . Instead of watching the wall ahead of him, as he did when he opened his eyes, he focused on what he leaned on, and saw a set of familiar legs. He found his head was resting on one of those thighs, which were warm and soft against his cheek. He blinked before looking upwards, and right above him he saw Keith, reading a book in silence. It seemed he didn't notice that Shiro was awake yet, as he concentrated on that nameless book in front of him. The black paladin hesitated before sitting up - seeing Keith from that angle was rather rare these days, for some reason - but a mere moment passed before he sat up, and that was when his boyfriend turned his head to him and smiled.

“Ah, you’re awake. Did you sleep well, love?” Shiro still stared at him, and Keith laughed that beautiful laugh of his, that sounded so good in Shiro's ears and made his heart skip a beat, even now. He put his book down beside him, entirely focusing on his lover now, purple eyes gazing with that certain sharpness that only Keith can have - sharpness that's mingled with something soft. “Still sleepy, huh? You were pretty tired, so I didn’t want to wake you.” As if on instinct, Keith put his hand on Shiro's cheek, then moved it to his hair in a caressing motion. His smile was lingering with fondness. 

It took the taller man a few more seconds to finally react because of his shock - Keith is here, with him,  _ wide awake _ \- and as soon as he caught up to that fact, he pulled him into a tight hug. “God... Keith… I love you so much,” he breathed. It felt incredible to say it again. 

“I… I love you too,” now it was Keith’s turn to blink in surprise, yet he hugged Shiro back all the same. A confused chuckle escaped him. “Is everything okay? Did you have a bad dream or something?”

_ The dream _ , Shiro thought, his smile dropping in an instant. Shit. That's right. Keith isn't wide awake, isn't really talking to him - they're both deep inside his mind. It made a heavy feeling settle in his stomach. 

“Shiro…?” he could hear his boyfriend’s voice right against his neck, concerned. Of course he would notice, even when they were still hugging, each of their chins on the other one’s shoulder.  Even in his unconscious state. 

In the back pocket of his trousers, Shiro could feel the handcuffs that Pidge gave him. He closed his eyes and tried to settle his racing heartbeat - it's going to be fine. He only needs to concentrate on his mission, find that scum that did this and save Keith as soon as possible. Even if it's going to take a while. Even if it's going to take  _ forever _ . 

Licking his lips and slipping out of his thoughts, he slightly pulled away from his lover so he could look at him properly. It seemed Keith was still quiet, giving him the time that he needs in order to collect himself, like he always did. He smiled, sliding his palms down to the other's sides. “No, no. I’m fine, babe,” Shiro finally said, “I just - Um… want to talk to you about something.”

Keith nodded. “Okay. But let me bring us some coffee first. We both need it.” With that, he got up and walked to another room, leaving Shiro alone for a while. The black paladin used the opportunity to sit up straighter and stretch his arms. It really  _ did _ feel like he just woke up, even though he knew fairly well that he was dreaming at the moment. 

Keith stood beside him with two mugs of coffee, and offered Shiro one of them. “Here you go, Takashi.” 

Shiro jumped. When did Keith come back?

“Ah - thank you,” he said, and took the warm mug. 

His lover sat beside him, curling his legs to one side on the bed. “So, what did you want to talk about?” He asked softly. “Is it the Kerberos mission that’s coming soon?”

He was about to respond, but found himself staring at the younger man with a confused expression. The Kerberos mission?  _ That’s coming soon? _ He looked down at his arm - it was still his prosthetic one. Didn’t Keith notice it? 

“Um, no, ah… I mean…” He mumbled, blinking to keep his thoughts in order. He didn’t expect that kind of question. He cleared his throat and continued. “No. No, baby, I… I already was in the Kerberos mission. Remember? When I was gone for a year and… we found the lions of Voltron and all…?” It was Keith’s  _ what the hell are you talking about _ expression that made him stop mid-sentence, insecure.

“What?” His boyfriend still looked confused, and slightly worried, when he continued to speak. “I think you’re still dreaming, hon,” he said, and took a sip of his coffee. “Maybe you didn’t fully wake up yet.”  

“No, no. I mean - yeah. I am. We both are,” Shiro told him. “We’re dreaming.”

“Babe, what are you talking about? Are you feeling okay?” The skinny teen asked, setting his coffee aside. Shiro’s eyes widened when he saw the mug was just staying up in the air, as if his boyfriend put it on an invisible table. “Hey. Look at me,” Keith cupped his cheeks, making him focus on his beautiful violet eyes once more. His thumbs stroked the soft skin underneath them, as if to bring him back to reality. “I think you’re still tired, love,” he hummed in a soft grin and pecked Shiro’s lips.

Shiro shook his head. “No. No, Keith, look. Look at your coffee. It’s floating.” 

Keith turned to his coffee mug, then to Shiro again. His expression was even more puzzled than before. “Huh? Takashi, what are you talking about? It’s right there on the table,” his smile was long gone, replaced with a frown and lips that could only curve downwards. He put a hand on Shiro’s forehead. “You’re a bit warm… maybe you’re sick?”

_ Dammit _ , Shiro thought.  _ That’s gonna be much tougher than I thought _ . 

He sighed, pulling Keith’s hands off of him, only to squeeze them in his own while trying to smile at him again - and failing this time. “Keith. I’m gonna tell you something weird, and it’s gonna sound crazy to you, but I need you to listen to me. Okay?”

Despite wanting to protest, Keith nodded silently. They sat together again, and as much as it seemed that the red paladin was still lost, he focused entirely on his boyfriend. As always, he was determined to understand him. 

“I already was in the Kerberos mission,” Shiro began. “I was gone for a while, and… it didn’t end well. The Holts and I got kidnapped by aliens that call themselves Galra. I’m not really sure what happened at the time, because it’s still all one big blur, but… I managed to escape. When I was back on Earth, you found me, with the others. Now we’re fighting the Galra empire with Voltron - the greatest weapon in the universe, which is basically a giant robot that's made of five lion shaped war machines. And - and now, after going on a mission, something happened and now you’re stuck here in a dream.” He paused, only to realize he didn’t specify the actual reason Keith was in a coma now. Why did he do that? He cleared his throat, and tried to continue. “In order to save you, we need to find - “

“Okay, okay, hold on.” Keith stopped him. “You do realize how insane it all sounds. I mean - you've already been to Kerberos? How is that possible? The launch is supposed to be in like two weeks. And who are those others that you’re talking about?”

“I know it’s confusing, Keith, I - ”

“And - and… what was it, robots fighting aliens? I mean you know I wanna believe there's much more life out there, but I don't, I don't get it - ”

“I know, I know that, but it’s true.” Shiro finally managed to stop him as he put his hands on both of his cheeks. “I mean, look at me, Keith, look at my arm. It’s metal, Keith. My bangs are white. My nose is scarred. Can’t you see any of that?”

“I can’t see - “

“Then look again.” Shiro insisted. His heart started racing. He was never in such a position, where he had to put himself in the spotlight for others to see, but for Keith - he would do that, and so much more. 

After rubbing his knuckles against his eyelids as his boyfriend told him to, Keith blinked and took a good look at him, and suddenly - his eyes widened. It was as though he saw him for the first time the way he truly was. He took a step back, with a slight shake of his head, before getting close again and gently brushing his shaky fingers on his lover’s jaw. “Sh… Shiro… what…? How…?”

“Keith. We don’t have time for that.” Shiro held him, desperately wanting to make him understand. “We have to find - “

“But your arm!” Keith exclaimed with a slight panic. “What happened? How did it happen to you?!”

“Keith, please, let me explain. I’ll explain everything, okay? Just calm down. Please.” Shiro collected his lover into a hug and held him until he finally took some deeper breaths. 

Finally Keith nodded, looking up at Shiro worriedly. It seemed he was beginning to understand that there something was wrong with this place.

“Listen to me, love. Okay?” Shiro started again. “There’s someone we need to find. It’s called a druid. It’s the dark creature that got you into this place, and in order to get out of here, we must find him. Alright? Can you do that with me?”

His boyfriend was about to reply, but suddenly, everything shook. Instantly, the two held each other, instinctively wanting to protect one another. Shiro looked into Keith’s eyes again, and after a firm nod from the red paladin, they walked together outside - to the desert. It only now occurred to Shiro that this entire time, they were in the shack Keith lived in during the year that Shiro was gone. 

“What’s going on?!” Keith asked, pressing himself to Shiro. 

“It must be the dream!” Shiro tried to tell him through the great noise of the earthquake. “The curse doesn’t want to be broken, so it does anything in its power to keep us from doing what we need to do!”  

Before they knew it, the ground between them cracked and opened. Shiro leaned forward, still catching Keith’s arms, yet the ground beneath the, was separating them and getting them farther away from each other - until their touch was broken. Each of them tried to reach to the other’s hand, screaming each other’s names, but soon they were too much apart. 

Shiro looked from side to side. There was no way to go around it - the crack seemed to be spreading too far, too wide.

“Shiro!” Keith yelled. “Stay there! I’ll try to jump over!”

“No, Keith, wait! It’s too dangerous!” 

The earth underneath Shiro’s feet crumbled, and he struggled to stay standing. No matter how much he tried to go back, the ground was too soft, too weak to handle his weight. He yelped when he fell on the edge, but managed to hold onto it. 

Keith’s voice was muffled, but he could still hear him screaming. 

He also knew it was a matter of time before he was going to fall into the abyss beneath him. 

Before panic would strike him, Coran’s words echoed in his head.  _ You may die in the dream _ . 

May, he knew, wasn’t said in a way of “maybe”. It was a permission. A possible choice.   

Shiro stopped fearing death a long time ago. The fact that it’s not an infinite thing in this world only made him more determined - he would die over and over again, if it means he could find a way to get Keith out of here. 

He didn’t hesitate. 

“Keith!” He called. “I’ll find you! I promise!”

The last thing he heard before the sand crumbled underneath his fingers was his own name being shouted once more by the one he loves.

Then, there was nothing.

 

*

 

The first thing Shiro noticed when he opened his eyes again, was that everything around him was black and white. 

He was standing in the middle of the road, but no car was showing up. It was windy, for some reason. When he turned to his left, he saw the trees move with the breeze, their grey leaves shaking, rustling. 

Up until now, he didn't realize how much he had missed that sound.

Something caught the corner of his eye. Shiro span to the other direction, only to see a big, old cottage in the middle of a small garden. He blinked at the sign that was put on the front - it seemed to be blurry, but he could read it all the same.

Oh. Keith told him about this place once. It was the orphanage he was sent to, after his dad left.

The knowledge that he needs to approach that place now sent a shiver down his spine. 

Keith was a private man by nature, and talked little to none about his childhood. Except that one time he mentioned it to his boyfriend in a conversation between the two of them on the rooftop of the Garrison in the middle of a summer night, he has never mentioned it again, and Shiro had the feeling he didn't open up about it to anyone else. It made the situation a bit more difficult for the black paladin, who was worried he was invading Keith's privacy by his mere presence in this particular dream. 

Then again, the fact that their minds were now connected to each other was the very definition of intimacy. 

Gulping, Shiro straightened up the black suit he was apparently wearing, checked his pockets - the handcuffs that Pidge gave him were in the hidden pocket on the inner left side of his jacket - and began stepping to the entrance. 

He only blinked, and was already inside. He looked around at the rather well conditioned hall, as a nurse that worked in the place approached him. He immediately noticed - her face was gone, replaced with nothing but blank, grey skin. “May I help you?” She asked, despite the fact that she had no mouth to use for speaking.

The taller man watched her nervously. When he looked at others that were around, he noticed none of them had their faces either. They were black-and-white, as well, just like the rest of this world. “Um, well… yeah. Uh…” He stuttered, putting a hand on his own face, just to make sure. He then sighed in relief and cleared his throat. “I’m looking for a kid called Keith. Keith Kogane. I’m - a friend of his dad. Does he still live here?” He knew it was a long shot, but he was willing to try. For some reason, he just knew Keith would be here, younger than usual. As if it was the only possible scenario. 

“Oh,” she said, her tone suggesting how unusual his question was sounding. He could guess why, and he didn't like it, but he said nothing. “I know exactly who you’re talking about. Come after me, please.”

Shiro was led to the backyard, where most of the children were. When he saw none of them had facial features either, he felt another cold shiver crawling down his spine. Why were they like that? 

“Keith!” The woman called, then walked closer to the child, who stood on the other side of the yard and tried to get his ball back from another kid. Luckily, that faceless nurse managed to stop the incident before anything got uglier. 

When she led Keith over to Shiro, he was relieved to see his face was actually there: his set of clear violet eyes - the only color that was present, as anything and everything else was still colored in many shades of black, white and grey; his nose was so cute and tiny and his mouth closed in a thin line. 

“There he is! A friend of your daddy!” The woman said cheerfully. “Don’t you want to say hello?” As soon as Keith looked up at the tall man, his eyes widened, and suddenly - 

“So you’re a friend of dad?” the small voice asked him. Shiro blinked as he found himself sitting with Keith by the yard fence. The older man looked from side to side, surprised to see them yet again in a sudden different part of the place. The then looked at Keith, who looked back at him and tilted his head. 

“Um. Yes. Yes, I am. But I'm your friend, too. Don't you remember me?” He asked, gazing upon him with a small, hopeful smile. 

Keith narrowed his eyes and tried to look at Shiro more closely. “You… Look familiar. But dad… He never comes here.” He mumbled and looked down for a mere moment in a serious expression - too serious for a boy this age, Shiro thought. The kid then put his small palm up and ran his fingers through Shiro's scar, his gaze, that has already returned to the older man's direction, was fascinated by its shape. “What’s your name?”

“Shiro,” He said, smiling softly. It was odd, seeing Keith this way, but it was also rather… Sweet. 

The boy tried to think about the name, but it seemed it didn’t ring a bell. 

“Well, Keith, it’s alright. Because I remember you.” The older man smiled fondly and ruffled Keith's hair. It seemed the boy liked it, as he learned his head into the touch and giggled. 

He spoke again when Shiro lifted his hand away. “Your hair looks funny,” he smiled. 

“Really?” Shiro hummed. 

“Yes. But it's cool, too. It's pretty,” the kid admitted, taking Shiro's hand in his own. When he felt - and then saw - that it wasn't a human hand but a metal prosthetic, he dropped his jaw in a small gasp. “Whoa! Is this real?” he asked excitedly, gentle in his own way, yet he suddenly was hesitant - he didn't want to make the other man feel silly and then hide his hand away. 

The black paladin chuckled. “It is,” he hummed, holding his hand out. “Go on. You can touch it. I don't mind.” To his amusement, found that he wasn't embarrassed even for one bit. He could feel the small, soft hands run against his metallic fingers, so gentle to the touch, that he found it almost endearing. 

“So… did you come here to be my friend?” Keith finally asked, still occupying himself with Shiro's hand. 

“Actually,” Shiro said in a soft tone, “I came here for a very important mission.”

“A mission?” the boy immediately straightened up, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Can I help?!”

Shiro laughed. “Yes, of course you can! But - “ He pretended to look from side to side again, a small smug still decorating his face. He leaned towards the boy and continued in a whisper. “ - It's a very big secret. Do you think you can keep it that way?”

“Yes! I promise!” Keith whispered excitedly, his smile widening as he was getting closer to Shiro. “What is it?”

The older man couldn't help but think again how adorable the kid was being at that point. “Well, Keith, our mission is to find - “

All of the sudden, a lightning struck in the sky, and after it, a loud thunder. Keith jumped and gasped at the sound, immediately catching Shiro's hand with his own and pressing himself to it. 

In an instinct, Shiro wrapped an arm around Keith’s back and pulled him close. He frowned and looked up. It was a sunny day and the sky was entirely clear. What the hell just happened? 

A quick look around revealed that no one else but them noticed anything out of the ordinary happen, either.

He blinked and finally moved his head down. “Don’t worry. I’m sure it was no-” he began, yet as saw Keith, he instantly noticed the panic that made the small child shiver and hide his face against Shiro's stomach. “Hey, hey, Keith. It's alright. You're alright.”

The boy took a moment, but eventually nodded and looked at Shiro again. The tall man’s free hand brushed on top of his head again, and that calmed him down even more. 

“Do you still want to help me with my secret mission?” He asked the child softly, his reassuring smile lingering across his face. 

Keith nodded. The corners of his lips rose up a bit. “What are we going to do again?”

“There's… Someone we need to find. A magical creature,” Shiro said carefully. Somehow he knew those thunders had to do with the information he had to give Keith. Nonetheless, he had to try and direct him to that druid. “It has dark powers… And we have to find it before it makes more damage.”

“Oh?” Keith blinked at him, fascinated. The sky was turning a deeper shade of grey, but the boy was yet to notice. “And where do we find it?”

“Well, that's where I need your help, buddy. I know you're the best for the job. I need you to help me identify that creature and catch it. Okay?”

“Yes!” Keith clapped gladly. “But wait. How will I know what that thing looks like?” 

“Well, um. You know how evil things are. You'll identify it immediately. I promise.” Shiro nodded, extending his hand. He smiled when the boy took it in his own and the two got up and began walking together. “I can tell you, however, that you gotta look for… Black smoke. Purple light… it'll lead you to someone who wears long clothes that drag on the ground. And they have a big mask on their faces.”

Keith looked up at him, squeezing his hand. “Sounds scary…” he murmured, trying to imagine what Shiro just described. 

It was then when the sudden thunders came back, much louder, which made the child jump and hug Shiro’s leg. The lightning that came before each thunder grew brighter, so bright that Shiro had to close his eyes. When he couldn't feel Keith's grip on him anymore, he forced his eyes open and looked around in panic. “Keith?!” He shouted. “Keith! Where are you?!”

He spotted Keith on the other side of the yard. He was older now: the Keith he needed to save. He seemed to be staring at the sky above him, frozen to his place, not even responding to Shiro’s pleas for him to come over. 

Shiro wanted to go to him, to grab him and leave - but he couldn't move. His legs were stuck in their place, and no matter how much he tried to make them move, it felt like they were made of stone. 

It was just the two of them now, standing in the middle of the colorless grass, right in front of the blinding whiteness of light in the sky. 

The clouds moved as if they were gates. The skies opened, and from beyond them, huge purple armored arms set their claws on the separated clouds, pushing them further apart. Zarkon’s angered expression showed as he cocked his head into the view between them and looked down at the red paladin. 

“You shall never escape,” his deep voice echoed, and the thunders only got stronger. Strong wind blew from his direction, ruffling the two humans’ hair and clothes violently.

Shiro stared up at him, completely shocked for a few moments. Only when he looked at Keith's immobile figure, he realized he was holding his breath. No, no, he can't let this dream end like this. He just can’t. He must get Keith out of here before - 

Zarkon got Shiro out of his train of thought when he spoke again. “No one escapes me.” The cold words were said rather calmly, almost  _ reassuringly _ , as the Galra emperor curled his fingers into his palm. The enormous monster then raised his fist, and released a terrible roar while slamming it down right on the younger human in front of him. 

Shiro’s eyes widened, his breath standing in his throat. He wanted to scream. He wanted to scream Keith’s name, but he couldn’t. He didn’t even notice that the moment the punch hit, everything was gone. The dream was over. 

And with it, his consciousness disappeared. 

 

*

 

The next time the black paladin opened his eyes, he was in his room in the castle. 

An impossible headache throbbed through his skull, for some reason. He groaned as he pulled himself up on his arms and knees. Why was he on the floor? 

He put a hand on the source of the pain, and discovered a cut on the side of his head. He hissed and looked at his palm, which was bloody, but not severely. 

Looking around, he noticed the entire place was a mess. The flash of the room’s lights was inconsistent, the floor and walls were cracked, some even broken. Maybe they were under attack. The thought made Shiro tense, but then he remembered - it's just Keith's dream. The situation is dangerous nonetheless, and he must act quickly. The more he would stay in those dreams, the more difficult it would be to get out. 

He activated his weapon in his right palm and began making his way out of his room. The doors were uprooted, and the halls were as destroyed as his room was. Biting his lip, he walked ahead and tried to call his friends’ names, feeling his heartbeat rise by the second. 

It was then when he heard someone running towards him. It was Hunk, armed and armored, looking more terrified than he has ever seen him. 

“Hunk! Hunk, wait! It's me! It's Shiro.” Shiro inactivated his weapon to catch his friend, but Hunk only stopped for a second. 

“You gotta get out of here, man!” He said shakily, already beginning to walk away as they spoke, anxious to get out. “He lost it! He just lost it!”

“What? Who? What are you talking about?”

“I can't talk, Shiro, we gotta get out of here! This place is doomed and we gotta go!”

Lance was next to arrive, sprinting his way towards them. His bayard was broken, and his metal suit was scratched and filthy. “Outta my way!” He shouted. He then took a moment to stop and look at Shiro disappointedly in a gaze that said  _ I told you so _ , before beginning to run again.

As soon as the blue paladin passed, Hunk followed suit. “If you wanna join us, Shiro, you gotta do it now. But we can't wait. We have to get out of here.” 

“Wait, Hunk, Lance! We can't just go, we gotta stay together and -- !” but before he could complete his sentence, the two were gone. Sighing, Shiro activated his arm again, and continued to the direction they came from. He knew that whatever they were talking about most likely had to do with Keith - he's the dreamer, after all. 

Feeling the nervousness building up in his chest, Shiro licked his lips and walked warily towards the main hall of the castle. The alarm signs were flashing on every screen. The lights were messed up as well, but instead of the place being dark like it was when they first found the castle, everything was in dark shades of purple - just like the insides of a Galra ship. 

On the other side of the large room, he could see Keith's figure bending over. He was with his back towards him, but Shiro could clearly see he was shaking. Was he crying? 

“Keith…?” he whispered, taking a few steps forward. “What's wrong?”

“Stay back.” 

Shiro stopped immediately. He realized how strong, yet how shaky, the voiced command was. However, he wasn't going to just let it go. Dream or no dream, Keith is suffering, and he's not going to stand by and watch from afar. 

“Keith… I want to help you. I need you to calm down. You know you can trust me, right? It's me… It's Shiro,” he tried again, taking smaller steps this time. 

“I said  _ stay back _ !” Keith threw something at Shiro's direction, yet the black paladin managed to avoid it. It was thrown with such force, that it made a hole in the wall behind him and stayed in its place. When he looked at it carefully, he found it was nothing other than Pidge’s bayard. It was covered in blood, and Shiro couldn't help but gulp nervously. What… What was going on? 

“Keith…” He said again, his voice soft. “Please. Tell me what happened.”

He could hear his boyfriend sob quietly between his heavy breaths. 

“I…” Keith started, yet it took him some time to continue. “There's something… wrong with me. I think I'm… changing.”

“Changing how?” Shiro encouraged him to say more. 

Keith didn't say anything at first. He then stood up, still with his back to the black paladin. He was much, much taller than before, and it seemed his ears changed into big, animalistic furry ones on the sides of his head. 

Shiro froze in his place. 

“Shiro…” Keith whispered. “I don't want to hurt you, too… Please… Run. Leave me and run.”

As he processed what he was seeing at the moment in front of him, the black paladin shook his head. “No. We can fix this. We can turn you back.”

“You can't!” Keith shouted. “Now run! Leave me alone before I do something we both regret!”

Shiro bit his lip, yet kept on the same position. “I'm not abandoning you. I never will,” He insisted. 

It seemed, at first, that it made Keith stop and think about it, but it was only for a short second. After that, he groaned again, hugging himself and shaking with pain. “Please, Shiro… please… leave…” he whispered between the sobs. 

This time, the black paladin managed to recollect himself and step forward. He knew what Keith was changing to, and he's not going to be afraid. He's going to help him. He's going to - 

Suddenly, the weeping ceased. The red paladin stood straight again, steady and quiet. His boyfriend watched him warily, waiting for his next move. 

That was when Keith turned around. His skin was purple and full of fur, his eyes beamed yellow. An insane smile spread across his face, one that Shiro had never thought he would see on his boyfriend. 

“Paladin…” He whispered, in a voice that was nothing like his own. 

Shiro stared at him, finding himself yet again rooted to his place. He wanted to move, but his limbs wouldn't listen. He wanted to say Keith's name, to plead him to come back to himself, but no word was coming out of his shaky lips. He felt like his lungs were too full, his throat too dry, his eyes too wide. 

He could only watch when Keith stormed at him, his fangs longer and sharper than ever. An inhuman shout burst out of the beast, and he charged with all of his might, terrible and crazed and starving for blood - 

Everything was red, before turning completely black. 

 

*

 

Pidge was looking through her computer with Hunk, as the others were still in med bay with the two sleeping paladins. Until now, there was no luck in finding another solution, or maybe something that would help Shiro find that druid faster, but she didn't give up. Keith and Shiro wouldn't have, either. 

At first, she ignored the sound of hurried steps coming from from outside of the room. She knew Keith and Shiro were in Coran’s safe supervision, so he would keep her updated if anything changes. Besides, she couldn't just stay sitting there, doing nothing but watching the foreign monitors that were keeping track of the sleeping men's brainwaves. 

She had to do something. Anything. So she kept on searching. 

Lance suddenly came in running, breathing hard and fast. He wanted to say something, but needed to settle his breath first. 

“Shiro - and - ah - Keith…” he gasped. “They… The stage. They entered the second stage now.”

Pidge cursed under her breath, as Hunk instantly got up and walked to his friend. 

Time is getting short. 

_ Damn _ . 


End file.
